


Station To Station

by Explicit



Category: David Bowie (Musician)
Genre: Addiction, Adult Humor, Change for the Better, Character Death, Drug Effects, Drug Use, F/M, Falling In Love, Gunshots, Happy Ending, Homelessness, Implied Underage Scene, Implied/Referenced Sex For Cash, Indecent Scenes, Knife Wounds, Love, Smut, Some Fluff, Some Hospital-Like Scenes, Starving Dog Scene, Strippers, Strong Language, Violence, coarse language, drug deals, drug selling, druglords, plot heavy, sex scenes, thugs - Freeform, withdrawal effects
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-23
Updated: 2016-01-23
Packaged: 2018-05-15 17:36:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 10,194
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5793673
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Explicit/pseuds/Explicit
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Being homeless is tough, especially when you have a heart of gold. Jaded by one harsh dose of reality after another, the Thin White Duke seeks to make a name for himself and ends up losing sight of who he really is in the process, so what can possibly stop his headlong dash into self destruction? It's boy meets girl and love at first sight,  please enjoy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Just A Couple Of Strays

**Author's Note:**

> for Anon.

The sky was cloudy and the weather was being quite moody lately, fine one moment and pouring down rain the next, keeping one guessing and never as predictable as the television made it appear. Newspapers littered the streets during the day, but at night they were nowhere to be found, covering the homeless as makeshift blankets while they tried to sleep lightly enough to keep themselves aware and protect their sparse belongings from being stolen in the darkness. They were often older men and women, some were younger and others were still school age, they were from all walks of life, some had returned from the war, others had lost their jobs while still more were families, struggling to survive in the unforgiving cities and towns across the country. It was late afternoon and one such homeless drifter was just exiting the park, hot-dog in hand and a sense of urgency in his step as he crossed the road and made his way back to a street alley. He sat down slowly beside a lump of mangy fur, a soft whine escaping the old mongrel dog as it smelled the food.

 

"Some kid dropped it in the dirt," the young man explained, "but you like it that way, don't you old boy? Bit of flavor, yes?"

 

The dog whined softly, eyes closing and the man placed the morsel in front of the dog's hungry jaws.

 

"Come on boy," he urged the mutt, "eat."

 

His own stomach growled, the hot-dog barely had a few grains of dirt upon it, easily brushed away and he had thought more than once of eating it himself, but he was warm and compassionate despite his circumstances, he would try to feed his friend before thinking of himself. But the dog turned away and sighed one last time, the thin, bony ribs jutting out pathetically and finally became still, as the dog was no longer breathing. He felt a hot tear streak down his face as the biting chill of the cold wind suddenly swept up and stung his cheeks, it just wasn't fair. He'd met the dog two months ago, it'd been a lot thinner then and he'd been sharing whatever food he was able to come across with it, but the diet was scarce and unhealthy, he blamed himself for the animal's ultimate demise, despite the fact that it was elderly anyway and probably had met the end of it's life cycle naturally.

 

He carefully picked up the hot-dog, unable to let it sit there and go to waste, he brushed off the specks of dirt and was about to eat it, when someone approached him and made him glance up warily.

 

"Dude, I'll give you my last bag of weed for that," the other man offered to him.

 

This guy was clearly hungrier than himself, so he agreed and made the swap, but what to do with it now? Standing to his feet, he left the scene and rightfully so, in case the other man decided he wanted his drugs back, he wasn't much good at fighting and he didn't really feel up to brawling anyway. Putting as much distance between himself and that alleyway, the young man made his way to an old bus station, where he sat down near some other people who were clearly in the same boat as himself.

 

"If you're waiting to catch the bus, it ain't comin'," a woman told him, "this place used to be bustling with people, coming and going, used to be on the right side of the tracks, man."

 

He looked around at her, squinting.

 

"What happened to it?" he wondered.

 

"They moved the tracks," she laughed, but ended up coughing and wheezing, straining to breathe through the fit.

 

He shifted away slightly, it wouldn't do to catch something out here, not without the cash to see a doctor or even buy medicine.

 

"I'm sorry," he said softly.

 

"Ah don't mind her," another, much older woman waved it away, "she's nuts!"

 

The young man had come across all sorts during his drifting travels, but it never stopped startling him, he wondered if he'd ever get used to it out here as he stood up and continued on his way. He still had the weed in his pocket, if he could just find someone to buy it from him. He was lucky enough not to be unshaven and filthy, despite being out here for nearly six months now, he was good looking and while he felt ashamed every time, there was never a shortage of people who would give him a few dollars in exchange for his.. services. This was a last resort, when he simply couldn't go on without submitting to the indecent act of desperation, he often got clothes out of it and a shower, cologne, cash, watches, things like that. Pawn shops were his friend, they'd buy anything and he'd eat for another week or two, he was careful with his money because he had so very little to begin with, though his kind heart and compassion soon ensured that he was hungry again before he really meant to be.

 

Approaching some people who looked shifty enough, the young man lifted his chin in greeting and they turned to him, smiling and welcoming him over. He took out the bag of weed and uttered an asking price, much higher than the bag was worth and they haggled with him until he settled upon fifty quid, then he hurried away as calmly as he could, as did they but in the other direction. He'd made his first score in weeks, it felt good and it was utterly thrilling! His mind began to clock into overdrive, now if only he could locate someone desperate to unload, talk them down and turn around to sell for a profit, he'd be well on his way. Getting caught wasn't even a concern right now, he just needed to get the ball rolling, but he lacked contacts or knowledge of such deals in greater detail. A quick, little score like today's was rare but it wasn't unusual, he'd end up spending the cash before finding anyone who wanted to sell to him but someday, he just knew it'd happen, he simply had to be patient..


	2. The Thin White Duke

Five Years Later..

  
  
  
The shadows were long as evening approached, fingers of darkness stretched out as far as the eye could see and two figures walked side by side along a narrow alley, pausing only briefly while one urinated by an old trash can.

 

"Surely that could've waited?" asked the other.

 

"I can't just show up and run right off to the loo, Dave," grumbled the now relieved man, zipping up his pants.

 

"You're all fucking class, Jase," the other man frowned as he lit up a cigarette, "and don't call me Dave!"

 

"Sorry Duke," Jason replied, "I keep forgetting."

 

"Come on, for fuck's sake," Duke hurried him along, "I don't want to get there late."

 

"You're such an ass, you know that?" Jason complained, "you used to be nice, what happened?" 

 

Duke furrowed his brow, being nice had only ever robbed him of his food, his cash and one time, every stitch of clothing he owned. That had been the last straw, no more mister nice guy who shared his hot-dogs with stray fleabags or caved in and bought an ice cream with his last dollar from the local park vendor for a sobbing, lost child while he sat with them until their parents came looking for them, only to chase him off rather than give him some coins for his efforts to keep their young one safe.

 

Jason sped up and fell into step with Duke, scratching his scruffy hair and adjusting his patched up coat. Duke wasn't impressed with his choice of wardrobe, but not everyone could really afford to clean up as neatly as himself, so he didn't say anything about it and they stepped into the club together just as the sun was beginning to set.

 

Inside, the music was thumping loudly and the place was almost empty, with only a handful of people scattered about in small groups here and there. This wouldn't last, it'd soon be so packed that it'd be difficult to move among the writhing bodies without being caught up and jammed in between them. Striding over to a large corner table, Duke and Jason nodded to some people who were already seated and they were invited to sit down.

 

"It is wonderful to see you in such good health, Jones!" smiled a large, rather heavy set male.

 

"I'm doing alright," Duke agreed with a forced, tight lipped smile in return, "I asked you never to call me that, Yasef."

 

"Right right right, sorry," Yasef quickly apologized, "it is Duke, right?"

 

Duke nodded, habitually glancing over his shoulder and looking around nervously, but nobody seemed to be taking much notice of the group.

 

"Don't worry, this is my club," Yasef smiled at Duke, one or two gold capped teeth glinting in the disco lights, "nobody is allowed inside if unapproved, you know?"

 

"Alright," Duke relaxed and leaned back, taking a long draw on his cigarette, "what've you got for me this time?"

 

Yasef nodded to a man at his right side, who then presented a briefcase and sat it upon the table, pushing it towards Duke, who looked at it but politely did not touch it without invitation, he knew better than that.

 

"Open it," Yasef instructed him.

 

Duke carefully unlatched the briefcase and slowly pushed it open, Jason whistled long and low at the contents and Duke closed it, latching it back up again.

 

"Sell all of it," Yasef told Duke, "and you can take thirty percent."

 

"Forty five," Duke bargained and Yasef smiled wickedly.

 

"Bold," Yasef admired him.

 

Broke was more like it, but Duke kept the comment to himself.

 

"Do we have a deal?" Duke asked him firmly, "or do I walk?"

 

Yasef leaned back and puffed on a cigar.

 

"Alright," Yasef finally nodded, "you sell all of that for me.. Forty five percent will be yours to keep."

 

Duke looked at Yasef's hand, it extended towards him, knuckles adorned with tattoos and fingers encrusted with rings. Reluctantly, Duke accepted the handshake, it was brief and he took the briefcase, standing up and giving a very short nod of his head as he and Jason walked away from the table and out onto the street.

 

"I'm sweating like you wouldn't believe!" Jason breathed, but Duke could believe it for he could certainly smell it.

 

"I told you, I can do this," Duke reassured Jason, "I've already got some buyers lined up."

 

"So what'd you need me for?" Jason wondered, again scratching his lice ridden, scraggly hair, pulling at the blond strands absently.

 

"Protection of course," Duke gave him a sidelong glance and Jason laughed stupidly, which made Duke smile. Jason was big, like gorilla big, especially compared to Duke, who was barely five foot ten and thin as a twig.

 

"My hair keeps falling out," Jason complained, tossing a clump of it off to the curb.

 

"So do your teeth," Duke pointed out, "have you ever actually seen the inside of a bathroom?"

 

"Only to snort," Jason grinned at him, "so how much of this money am I getting then?"

 

"One hundred dollars," Duke responded carefully.

 

"Whoa, serious?" Jason was pleased, "that's more than I've seen in months!"

 

Duke smiled falsely at him, if Jason could actually do the math, he'd have been insulted at the pittance Duke was paying him for protection.

 

"Where're we goin' now, Duke?" Jason wondered.

 

"To see our old friend Squeaky," Duke responded, saying the name between clenched teeth.

 

"Ohh fuck, do we gotta?" Jason whined, "that guy is _shady_ , man!"

 

Duke didn't answer, he needed to sell something tonight and then get this briefcase hidden away before the cops or some other cunt came along and stole it from him.

 

Rounding the corner, they came across Squeaky under the streetlights, leaning against a very flash looking red convertible. He wore a sweet suit, plenty of jewlery and had several lovely, young women in and around the car. One of the women was clinging to him, this would be his girl and Duke eyed her off immediately.

 

"Duke!" Squeaky greeted him, flashing Duke a tooth filled grin, "how ya been? Ya lookin' good, bud! Love the suit!"

 

"Can't complain, Squeaks," Duke spoke calmly, "you got the cash?"

 

"Ahh nah, bud," Squeaky suddenly stopped grinning, "I only got like, seventy five quid."

 

"No," Duke frowned, "no that wasn't the deal."

 

"I'm sorry, bud," shrugged Squeaky, "that's all I got.. Unless you wanna pick a girl?"

 

Duke hesitated, looking from one girl to the next before finally nodding to the one with her arms around Squeaky.

 

"Her," Duke said firmly, for Squeaky earned his name by the sheer fact of being very, very careful with whom he chose to sleep with, if she wasn't squeaky clean, he wouldn't touch her. He was very mindful of diseases and germs, he had quite a phobia of them in fact, so Duke knew this woman would be safe.

 

"Ahh no, oh come on, Duke!" Squeaky pouted.

 

"Her or no deal," Duke insisted.

 

"Aw fine then," Squeaky handed over the cash and Duke gave him his bag of crack, "go on sugar, go with him. But just for now, I want her back in an hour."

 

Duke nodded and the woman reluctantly left Squeaky to link arms with Duke, he wasn't overly keen on the way she hung off his arm but he was in too big of a hurry to get the briefcase hidden to really care too much.

 

"Pleasure doing business with you," Duke offered Squeaky a shit eating grin.

 

"Aw go fuck yourself," Squeaky grumbled and Duke laughed quietly, heading back to the apartment building where he was living with a friend who worked nights.

 

"Fucking shit for a night's take," Duke thumbed through the paper bills in his hand disappointedly, "we'll need to sell the rest tomorrow."

 

"All that?" Jason squinted down at the briefcase, "you're sure of yourself."

 

"The longer I'm holding onto this stuff, the bigger the risk of getting caught with it," Duke explained, entering the building and heading up the stairs.

 

"Oh, yeah," Jason agreed, "gotcha."

 

They entered the apartment and Duke shrugged the woman off his arm, she kicked off her heels and sat down on the sofa, while Jason took off his coat and burped loudly.

 

"See ya in the mornin' Duke," Jason bid him goodnight and went to his room. Duke hid the briefcase in a locked desk drawer, then returned to the sofa and looked down at the bored looking woman.

 

"Get up," Duke told her stiffly, "come on."

 

She sighed and stood to her feet, he quickly pulled her over to the table and she bent over it. Duke hitched up her dress and rubbed her ass with his hand, leaning over her to smell her perfumed neck and hum into her ear quietly.

 

"Yess," Duke whispered, as he rubbed her pussy and it began to soak his fingers, "ohh baby, yess, that's the way."

 

She moaned and he set free his cock, rubbing it now between her slick folds and teasing it between her thighs.

 

"Ah! So big!" she gasped with surprise and her brow creased with worry at his impressive size. Duke pushed her harder down against the table and started fucking her, grunting and puffing his breath against the back of her neck and onto her shoulder as he bit it and kissed it sensually. She moaned and whimpered, whined and pleaded with him to go faster and her cries became louder and more desperate as she began to curse at him and throw back her head to arch in pleasure. He panted and shook, his knees buckling as he suddenly came hard and fast, breathing heavily and screwing his eyes shut to indulge himself in the ecstatic wave of heightened sexual peaks, before he eventually calmed and withdrew carefully from her. She stayed there, dripping, streaming down her thighs and legs and onto the floor as he backed away and slipped his cock back into his pants.

 

"Thank you," she spoke softly, for not many like him would ensure that she achieved orgasm. He nodded briefly and she pulled her dress down, accepting his offer of some wet ones and she cleaned herself up before he showed her to the door and she let herself out. Duke then walked into his room, which was actually his friend's room but she worked all night and he was out all day, so they shared the bed in a sense. He lay down on it and stared at the ceiling for a long time, a sharp, shooting pain in his guts doubled him up for a while, but he managed to quell it with a few gulps of milk from the fridge in the kitchen and he then slept fitfully until around 5am the next morning when he suddenly had to get up and visit the bathroom, do a few lines of coke and stifle his sudden blood nose with a few tissues, swearing and grumbling all the while.

 

"That you, Duke?" Jason was finally awake and wandering into the bathroom, "y'alright?"

 

"Of course," Duke responded haughtily, "get yourself at least halfway decent, we're off early today."

 

"Aw fuck, Duke," Jason complained, bleary eyed and yawning, "we're always off early!"

 

Duke ignored him and left the bathroom, looking into the fridge but losing interest rather quickly and instead pulling out his cigarettes, lighting one up while he waited for Jason to finish in the bathroom, he could hear Jason snorting and sniffling and so Duke went to the desk to unlock it and take out the briefcase. He had to try and sell it all today, or at least most of it anyway, he really, really couldn't afford not to because his part of the rent was due soon and there was no way his friend was going to let him slide on it again this month, she'd kick him out on his ass for sure.


	3. The Coup

While Jason cooked himself up a big breakfast of greasy bacon, fat dripping sausages and runny fried eggs, Duke sat on the sofa trying to mask the nauseating smells with his cigarette, but it wasn't helping, so he got up and located Jason's coat. Duke carefully pocketed most of the drugs into every pocket he could find, both inside and out, then he went into the hallway and picked up the phone, it was time to call in those buyers.

 

A short time later, Duke and Jason stepped out of the building and headed down along the street path, Duke's stomach complained and tightened but he just lit up yet another cigarette and continued on walking until they came to the right place.

 

"This is where he said he'd meet us," Duke told Jason, "keep your eyes open."

 

Jason looked around and while the dawn was still barely turning the sky grey, there were a few people around for him to size up and try to suss out, until two men and a woman finally approached the pair.

 

"Saul, you're fucking late," Duke drawled, "I almost walked."

 

"Chill, I got the money," Saul reassured him, "let's see the pills."

 

Duke nodded to Jason, who reached into his pocket carefully, slowly taking out a medium sized bag, people in this game were very high strung and constantly on the edge, so movements had to be taken easy or one could easily be mistaken for reaching for a gun.

 

The exchange was made, no more words were spoken and the group dispersed quickly and quietly, each of them glancing over their shoulders and around, just to make sure they weren't being watched or followed. Duke felt his heart thumping madly, he shoved his hands into his pockets to keep them from visibly shaking but this was all just life for him, calm exteriors meant nothing in this game and yet without one, you were doomed to fail from the start.

 

"You got nerves of steel, Duke!" Jason sighed heavily once they were clear of immediate danger, "man, I'm shakin' like a leaf!"

 

The rest of the day was the same, meeting up and exchanging drugs for cash, the ever present concern of an undercover cop or set-up underlying the nervous tension for both parties involved each and every time.

 

By the afternoon, Duke was pleased that their stash was almost completely gone and replaced with bills now lining Jason's pockets.

 

"I'm _starving_ ," Jason complained, "can't we stop to eat?"

 

Duke looked around, there was a place just across the road from where they stood, so he reluctantly agreed to go inside and they seated themselves down at a table. Jason ordered himself two large hamburgers with the lot, Duke frowned. 

 

"How can you afford this?" Duke wondered.

 

"I got money everywhere," Jason responded with a quirk of his brow.

 

"That's not ours!" Duke hissed.

 

"A hundred of it is mine, you said so," Jason pouted.

 

"I did say that, didn't I?" Duke sighed, "so you're going to blow it away on junk food?"

 

Jason shrugged, but Duke was careful with his money because he knew that sometimes he wouldn't have any, so everything he bought was considered and mulled over carefully before he would even think of parting with his cash.

 

After they left there, Duke and Jason went back to the apartment to lock away the cash before it might fall into the wrong hands, Jason waited downstairs while Duke crept silently inside, so as not to awaken the only actual person who was technically supposed to be living in the apartment room, but she was standing in the kitchen, drinking coffee and she looked up as Duke went about his business. She didn't say anything to him until he was heading back out, then she called to him quietly and he startled, having not noticed her until just then.

 

"You're up," Duke walked into the kitchen.

 

"Yeah," she nodded, "Duke, your rent is due tomorrow, you're going to pay, right?"

 

"Of course," Duke reassured her, "I just need to see a couple more people, I'll have it in your hands by tonight, Ashlyn, I swear."

 

Ashlyn silently leaned back and felt appeased for now, drinking her coffee and clearing her throat.

 

"Alright," she said at last, "but I'm really not kidding this time, Duke. Either you pay up this month or you'll have to find somewhere else. This place isn't exactly cheap and I really need someone to help me out. There's plenty of other people out there you know."

 

"I know, I know," Duke promised, "I'll have it this time, don't worry."

 

He kissed her cheek insincerely and headed back out the door, Ashlyn just shook her head and considered just kicking him out anyway, how much longer before there was a drug raid in here? Most people like Duke could blend into the crowd but not him, he had the presence of a rock star and a face easily recongnized by any and all on the drug scene, both as a buyer, a dealer and a user. She was actually surprised he had managed to live this long and stay out of prison or worse, but then, she figured as long as Jason was there to make sure he didn't get jumped, Duke was probably going to outlive them all someday, he was just lucky like that.

 

Jason looked around as Duke emerged from the building, following his hurrying steps out to the next arranged meeting place.

 

"Ashlyn's getting fed up," Duke told Jason, feeling his throat tighten with panic, "I really need to give her this month's rent, Jase."

 

"Will you have enough by tonight?" Jason wondered.

 

"I should have," Duke nodded, lighting up a cigarette, "we're out on our arse otherwise."

 

Jason said nothing more and as they rounded the corner, they came across a group of people whom Duke was not very fond of at all. They shifted away when they saw him though, not eager to mess with the Thin White Duke and his pet gorilla today, so the tense moment was short lived and the two were able to continue on.

 

"What are _they_ doing on this side of town?" Jason asked, looking at the retreating group.

 

"I don't know," Duke said quietly, "but it's not a good sign."

 

"You think Yasef's alright?" Jason added.

 

"I should like to think so," Duke nodded, "if he doesn't get paid tonight, I don't get paid and that means Ashyln's going to kick us out."

 

"Fuck," Jason groaned, tugging at his hair, "I can't sleep in the gutter Duke, you promised we'd never have to again!"

 

"I know, alright!" Duke tried to calm him down, "just let me think!"

 

He grabbed Jason's wrist and glanced at the watch strapped to it, there was enough time to go and see Yasef before they had to meet up with the next buyer. Jason would always follow Duke, wherever he went and without much question, but today he probably should have argued, should have not ignored that churning, nervous feeling in his stomach that Duke assured him was probably just his greasy breakfast mixing with his over enthusiastic lunch.

 

They stepped into the club from the side entrance, it was closed during the day but there was always somebody around and as they walked into the main area, they stopped and were instantly surrounded.

 

"I wasn't expecting you until tonight," Yasef looked him over, emerging from the darkened corner he'd been standing in.

 

"Jesus, Yasef," Duke breathed, "what the fuck?"

 

"It's Nigel's crew," Yasef explained quietly, "they're trying to move in on my turf, but don't you worry. I'll sort him out. How are you doing?"

 

"I'm almost done," Duke said firmly, "I saw Nigel's thugs not far from here, they didn't stick around."

 

"They're closer than I thought," Yasef frowned, "best get outta here, Duke. I don't want my best guy getting caught up in the middle of this."

 

Duke nodded and Yasef regrouped his men as he and Jason slipped out the back way.

 

"What's going on?" Jason asked.

 

"Turf war," Duke responded idly, "come on, we've got people to see."

 

He lit up a cigarette, a nervous habit that he found comfort in, otherwise he'd fidget too much and people would quickly get wise to how he really felt inside, rather than having to judge his cool, calm exterior.

 

Immediately when they had exited the building, they were jumped from out of nowhere and Jason managed to take out a couple of the men with his brute strength but he was shot while Duke was being grappled with and they soon had him restrained within the firm, tight grip of two large men. One thug lay dead with Duke's bloodied knife in his guts, but it was of little comfort to him now. Duke breathed heavily, a little roughed up but otherwise unharmed and his chest tightened in fear, Jason was dead on the pavement and he was completely alone to fend for himself. The vultures soon had Jason's pockets emptied, Duke held in his desire to curse and spit at them, instead lifting his chin and glaring silently, keeping his temper even and in check.

 

"Nigel wants to see you," one of the men approached Duke and smirked at him, sizing him up, "somehow I thought you'd be a lot scarier."

 

"Tell them to let me go and I'll show you how fucking scary I can be," Duke growled, eyes fierce and feeling much disdain at his barely smoked cigarette, now laying squashed and broken under their feet on the pavement below. The man smirked, but took a step back from him anyway and started to walk, Duke could only go along with the two who had him held firmly in their grasp, outwardly looking pissed and calm but inwardly his heart was filled with fear and pain and loss, what would happen to him now?


	4. Skipping Town

Stumbling into an old warehouse, Duke couldn't help but to smirk in amusement at how typical a place it was for someone to hole up during an attempted take over of the city's resident drug lord. He was dragged to stand before another man, clearly this was Nigel and Duke gave him not a hint at how he was very nervous and trembling simply wasn't an option, not so long as he was in the grip of others who would feel it easily and use it against him.

 

"You must be the Thin White Duke," Nigel spoke slowly, looking him up and down.

 

"..And you must be the puckered little arsehole who killed my friend," Duke spat nastily, baring his teeth as a knife was pressed against his throat to keep him from struggling. Nigel sat back, one brow quirked and head inclined.

 

"Easy now," Nigel said calmly, "I never gave orders for anyone to be killed, that was most unfortunate."

 

Duke glared silently back at him, unable to retort due to the closeness of the decidedly sharp blade at his jugular.

 

"This city isn't big enough for both Yasef and I," Nigel explained, "right now, as we speak, my men have moved in and are closing in on my biggest rival. Yasef will be dead within the hour, I hear you are practically his right hand guy."

 

Nigel made a gesture and the knife was carefully moved away from Duke's throat.

 

"What do you want from me?" Duke asked him, raging inside but keeping calm for appearances sake and it was clearly impressing Nigel. A man stepped forwards and dumped the remainder of the drugs that they'd found inside Jason's coat, Duke gulped silently back a huge sob for his fallen friend, but it went unnoticed and it shocked him at just how much he really had cared for the guy.

 

"Fucking vultures," he grumbled under his breath, earning him a tight pull on his arms that made him grunt.

 

"Where's the rest of it?" Nigel looked up from the table, "frisk him."

 

Duke looked directly into Nigel's soulless eyes as he was searched and groped, grunting again here and there as they were not gentle but they found nothing and shook their heads.

 

"Yasef would have entrusted you with far more than this," Nigel told Duke, "where is the rest??"

 

"Up my arse," Duke spoke firmly. Nigel leaned back and smiled at him amusedly, but Duke did not share in his amusement at all.

 

"Be careful," Nigel warned him, "or I'll have them take a look just to make sure."

 

Duke swallowed dryly and finally let his gaze lower slightly.

 

"I sold it," he admitted.

 

"Then where is the cash?" Nigel wondered, impressed more at the swiftness with which Duke seemed to have managed to offload his wares.

 

"Somewhere safe," Duke responded vaguely, "I can't carry that much money around on me, can I?"

 

"No," Nigel leaned forwards again, suddenly a lot more interested, "I suppose not. I'll tell you what, Duke, why don't you work for me? I'll cut you in, we'll look after you, won't we boys?"

 

Murmurs of disgruntled agreement arose from the others, to them, Duke was direct competition for their master's favor and he already had a secure reputation for being cunning and turning a bigger profit than anyone else around, but they wouldn't ever dare disagree with Nigel for fear of ending up becoming his next target.

 

"I'll sleep on it," Duke answered with an air of disinterest, "ask me again tomorrow."

 

Nigel nodded to one of the men standing around, he stepped forwards and landed a firm fist into Duke's gut, sending him onto his knees as his breath was suddenly stolen and he had to catch it back.

 

"You'll work for me _now_ ," Nigel told Duke, as he was roughly hauled back up onto his feet, gasping, "sell the rest of these drugs tonight and bring me every single dollar you've made today by morning. Understood?"

 

Duke nodded defeatedly, there really was nothing more he could do now.

 

"Good," Nigel relaxed, "if you're really as badass as your reputation suggests, I'll see you no later than six in the morning and you will have my money in full, are we clear?"

 

"Yes," Duke spoke angrily, with an underlying tone of sincerity.

 

"Alright then," Nigel said calmly, "let him go boys, if he doesn't come back, we will hunt him down like a dog."

 

They laughed, albeit nervously as Duke swiped up the drugs and seethed his way back outside, squinting in the suddenly glaring afternoon sun after being in the dark and damp warehouse for so long. He felt like he was stepping out onto an alien planet, without Jason in his shadow and keeping him safe from harm, Duke was left vulnerable and everybody who saw him walking alone would instantly know it and seize their chance to take from him whatever he might be carrying. He had to keep his wits about him now, but the first thing he did was head for home, if only to feel some sort of comfort and sense of safety and familiarity to recoup and gather his shattered nerves. He hurried upstairs when he arrived, but the door was locked and he knew that Ashyln was home, so he was curious because she wouldn't just lock it when she knew he was out and might come back anytime of the day.

 

"Ashlyn?" Duke knocked, reaching into his pocket but cursing under his breath as he'd forgotten his key, "Ashlyn!"

 

She opened the door and looked him over.

 

"Have you got my rent, Duke?" she asked him stiffly. Duke visibly faltered and she sighed, slamming the door shut in his face and he panicked, banging on the door.

 

"Ashlyn!" he called to her desperately, "Ashlyn, please! Please, don't do this to me!"

 

She didn't answer.

 

"Ashlyn!" Duke called again, "at least let me get my stuff?"

 

Country music suddenly blasted from behind the door, sending him stumbling back with his hands over his ears, God knows why she listened to that rubbish!

 

"Ashlyn!" Duke tried again but it was no use, she wasn't going to give him another chance and the only reason he couldn't pay her last month was because he loaned someone money and they never paid it back, leaving him short and that didn't exactly earn him any points with her.

 

"Fuck!" Duke ran his fingers through his hair with both hands, now what?

 

He looked around himself, there was nothing for it, he had to get the hell out of the city and double quick. He pushed away from the wall, making his way outside to light up a cigarette and he glanced around, feeling for sure Nigel would have had him followed but he couldn't see anyone obviously tailing him as he flagged down a car and hitched a ride with some people heading through to the next city, some seven or eight hours drive from here. Duke sat silently in the back, the driver had one friend in the front with him and two other hitchhikers in the back along with Duke and they were getting along just fine, leaving him to his sullen thoughts and ignoring the heavy sighs that escaped from him here and there.

 

At one point he caught a stray tear as it slid from the corner of his eye, Jason wasn't the best company he'd had but he'd been part of Duke's life for four and a half years at least and it felt difficult and lonely without him around anymore. The world was suddenly much bigger and scarier to him than it had seemed only just this morning, a world away now and forever gone, damn this stupid mortal coil and the frailty of the human condition. He passed out a few hours in, his body crashing and racked with pain from lack of an upkeep with his own drug use, later waking to gentle nudges and offering up a groan of protest as he was forced back into consciousness once more.

 

"Time to get out, man," the driver urged him gently, "come on, get up."

 

Duke mumbled a short thank you and stumbled out of the car, holding his abdomen tightly and making his way into the nearest alley, where it was cooler and darker and he would be ignored. He fell to his knees, clutching and gripping his abdomen in pain, breathing heavily and baring his teeth as drool escaped his lips and he heaved but nothing came out and his eyes watered with the strains and aches of his body. He was not in a good way, nor was he in a good place, the city was unknown to him and as far as any residents were concerned he was either just another well dressed bum or something they could prey upon, depending on who was looking at him. Duke lay on his side, closed his eyes and groaned, he felt he could not go on and indeed he was giving up, caving in and just allowing the blanket of sleep to overwhelm him once more.

 

This is it, he thought as he felt himself fading into unconsciousness, I'm not going to wake up..


	5. A Second Chance

But he did.

  
  
There was warmth and comfort all around him as he began to stir, his head throbbing and his eyes protesting as he forced them to open, burning and dry and making him blink repeatedly in order to see something other than blurred outlines. As everything slowly came into focus, he eased himself gently into a sitting position and realized he was buck naked and in a huge, soft bed.

 

"..The fuck?" Duke looked around quickly for his clothing, locating them with a glance to a nearby chair, they were folded neatly upon it and he sighed with relief.

 

What was happening just now? Where was he? How'd he get there?

 

Lifting his right hand, he was curious to discover it was tightly bandaged up with something embedded into the back of it, connected to a tube and he didn't feel at all achy or dehydrated as he let his gaze follow the tube to some sort of bag that was filled with a clear liquid, hanging on a thing that looked like some sort of medical rack. Duke was not familiar with hospital things, so he hadn't a clue as to what anything was, but he knew this was someone's home and not a hospital, they must have somehow set this up with the aid of a nurse but.. why?

 

The door slowly opened and Duke gathered the blankets around himself, he'd never been shy before due to the constant flow of drugs in his system but there was a sheer lack of them right now, except for perhaps the painkillers obviously given to him at some point and he suddenly was quite self conscious now. A woman entered the room, she looked easily in her mid 40's or perhaps her early 50's and Duke being sat up the way he was just now seemed to startle her.

 

"Oh!" she placed her hand over her chest, "you gave me a fright, I thought you'd still be asleep."

 

Duke shifted as she drew closer to the bed, but she seemed kind and didn't look as though she had any ill intent towards him, so he allowed himself to relax just a little.

 

"You poor thing," she said to him fondly, "you look half starved! Do try to eat something, won't you?"

 

Duke followed her gesture to the bedside table, where there was a silver tray with a few bits of this and that, as well a glass of water. He turned away from it, his gaze focusing back upon the woman.

 

"You must have so many questions," she empathized, "allow me to explain myself, then if you have anything else to ask of me, you may fire away. Alright?"

 

He nodded uncertainly, but he felt at least safe where he was and it was a far cry from being curled up in the alley as he had been just hours ago. She told him that she was a widow, she was incredibly wealthy by inheritance and that all of her friends were not supportive of her, because she was alone and they were still happily married, making her much of an outcast among them. She stated that she had been telling them she'd found herself a lovely young man to keep her company, boasting about how handsome he was and good in bed, much better than the silver foxes they had all clung to at the first flash of a bulging wallet and that they were becoming both envious and doubtful of her claims, demanding to see this new beau of hers and that she had to keep making excuses because she simply hadn't found anyone that matched her outlandish claims.

 

Until now.

 

"So you want me to pretend we're an item?" Duke surmised, "in exchange for saving my life, just so you can look good in front of some uppity old hags?"

 

The woman smiled and shrugged.

 

"Such is my life," she sighed, "oh won't you humor a silly old fool, just for a party or two? It's the least you can do, you know, you do owe me that much."

 

Duke looked at her reluctantly, she had saved him yes but in his defense, he hadn't asked her to.

 

"I don't even know your name," Duke argued gently, "you know nothing about me."

 

He shook his head in disbelief, was he dreaming? Hallucinating?

 

"You can call me Grace," she replied, softly stroking his face with her fingertips, "oh but you are quite well spoken and very handsome, please say you'll stay, just for a while, hm?"

 

Her hand trailed down over his neck, boldly caressed his chest and lowered over his abdomen to venture beneath the covers and he felt her fingers curl around his cock, squeezing it firmly and he felt his face flushing as she fondled his scrotum and made him grow erect. She smiled at him and he swallowed dryly when she whisked the blankets away to expose his trembling, painfully slender figure.

 

He was tense as she leaned in, kissing just below his ear and whispering into it, making him grow hotter and harder, he was exhausted and weak, easy prey for her. Duke leaned back into the pillows as she climbed up onto the bed with him, she did not look too bad for her age and she straddled him, undressing herself slowly to tease him. Duke wasn't always fussy about whomever he slept with, his efforts usually only trying to ensure they weren't sick or carrying something they could pass onto him through sex and right now was no different. He was getting something out of it, he could at least throw her a bone, he supposed.

 

"Aright," he breathed tiredly, "just.. just for a while."

 

Grace turned away from him, straddling him backwards and he looked confusedly at her back as she wriggled around and finally impaled herself upon his rigid cock, causing him to grunt and moan in surprise and pleasure. She was facing the wrong way, down towards his legs and yet she was now moving up and down on his cock, he thrust in time with her and grasped her hips firmly, taking control of the movements and setting the pace. He may be a handsome, young stallion but she could probably still teach him a thing or two! She began to moan and call out to him, her voice trembling and her body shaking as he ground his hips and thrust harder, hitting her just right as she suddenly came, jolting and squeezing around his shaft. Duke hummed and closed his eyes, slowly shifting until she was on all fours and he was really pounding her from behind, she was left gasping by the time he climaxed, still pumping into her and breathing raggedly as he eventually collapsed back into the pillows, breathless yet sated.

 

"Oh my," Grace puffed, setting her feet back upon the floor and dressing herself again, "you're certainly a big boy."

 

"Duke," he introduced himself, not wanting to be called boy too often, "just call me Duke."

 

"Very well, Duke," smiled Grace, "admittedly, I've never had it so damn good in my life. I am so glad you have chosen to stay. Get some rest, I'll come and check on you again later."

 

She left him alone and Duke glanced back over to the tray of food, it suddenly didn't seem so unappetizing now and he reached over to sample what she'd left for him to eat, surprising himself by eating nearly all of it before drifting into a deep slumber once more as night began to fall outside.

 

 

In the morning, Duke felt strong enough to venture out of the bed but he collapsed weakly once Grace was nearby and she managed to catch him before he could fall to the ground too hard, urging him back into bed to get some more rest. The drugs she had the nurse administer made him feel drowsy and he soon fell back to sleep, his entire world was spinning and crashing down around him, the fast paced days where he would stay awake for more than a week at a time seemed like forever ago and he was stuck in this hellish existence of watching the minutes tick by on the clock, hour by hour, it was driving him crazy and it'd only been less than a day.

 

If Grace thought she was in for an easy time of it, she would have to think again and seriously reconsider her option of fessing up and telling her friends the truth, because Duke was not about to suffer in silence and his body was already screaming out for his intake of cocaine, making him shudder with waves of nausea and pain that made him groan even while unconscious.

 

When he woke later, only to throw up all that he'd eaten the previous night while she was busy showing him off as proof to a friend who had suddenly dropped in, Grace became mortified and embarrassed, despite the friend's understanding that her man had mysteriously fallen ill - as was her latest excuse and reason for not bringing him to any recent parties.

 

Against the nurse's advice, Grace ended up giving Duke his things back and soon sent him packing, unable to deal with what she'd been told would happen in the coming months of withdrawals. Duke was lightly relieved, he hadn't exactly enjoyed hearing about his side of things either and the way he saw it, the sooner he got back into his drugs, the better, he couldn't fathom going through all of that just for a bed and food.

 

He wandered into a club towards the outskirts of the city, where dealers would be less likely to try and bump him off for fear of him stealing their customers and he began to slowly sell off his last remaining clutch of drugs, using only scant amounts of it himself to help keep him up to speed and alert. He felt sick for taking it after so long without, but it'd get better once he had a few hits and he soon started to feel buzzed again, within a week he was back to business as usual, with a place to stay and a horde of 'friends' around him and of course, this sudden flurry of activity was not going unnoticed by the resident drug lord.


	6. Stepping It Up

Hoping to be left alone when one was in the drug business was a fool's game, relationships were shallow, friendships were hollow and marriage and family life were out of the question, unless one was confident enough that nobody would dare to go after their wife and children. Duke wasn't a stranger to children, teens or even babies, there were plenty of crack whores spitting them out every few months or so, only to have welfare take them away at birth or shortly thereafter. Older children were always playing in the streets, victims of family breakdown and struggling young parents with nowhere else to go but the cheapest motels or holed up in a friend's place until they found their feet again. Teenagers were more common than one might assume, always looking to score a freebie or trying to convince a dealer to give them time to raid their parents purse or wallet after they'd taken a hit or two and were told to pay up for the third or go home.

 

People gravitated to the Thin White Duke, he just had this air of charm about him and such a unique smile, false as it was but everybody seemed to want to be near to him, or somewhere around where he might be. It was that rockstar presence he radiated so easily, with the way he held himself in such confidence and how he was always so bold, Duke took risks and while they didn't always pan out so well for him as he might have liked, they more often than not resulted in him getting a pretty decent deal out of each venture that saw him barely ever going broke. This city was turning out to be quite the goldmine for him and the more he delved deeper into the seedy underbelly of it, the more 'friends' gravitated towards him and he quickly became nearly untouchable, hardly approachable without appointment and certainly never left alone or unguarded at the best of times.

 

This was all well and good, but Duke still enjoyed alone time and privacy, there were too many people sometimes and a few months went by, he bought the old club and turned it around, sold it and made a huge profit, moving himself and a few friends into a bigger, better place, once again buying it for a song and turning it around. This time he kept it and the place was a regular club during the day, where anyone could come and relax and enjoy themselves but at night it became a strip club, male and female strippers but it was clean and safe with good security. Of course, drug deals could go down inside, as long as he got a cut from it and he was quickly lining his safety depsoit box with thousands of dollars to spare. Things were definitely looking up, but it didn't really matter how much money he made, he wasn't getting any better and he often found himself nauseated and aching, depressed and sullen, his body shaking and his head pounding like crazy, the sharp, shooting pains of hunger in his starved body were the worst, but he lacked the desire to eat and his drug addled brain often made him forget to do it by the time he reached the kitchen anyway, so it was just milk and a bite or two of a bell pepper, then back to whatever it was he'd been doing before he'd briefly thought of food in the first place.

 

One night, he sat inside his club and thought about finally selling it for a very tidy profit and moving somewhere new, perhaps overseas to Berlin or Tokyo, his gaze vacantly staring at the stage where a male stripper was down to his speedos and women were screaming, waving their dollar bills at him in the hopes that he'd come closer to them. A woman approached him and invited herself to sit down at his table for two, Duke blinked and was brought back to reality, looking at her with a curious smile.

 

"Enjoying the entertainment?" she wondered to him. Duke glanced over at the male stripper, who was currently shoving his pelvis into the face of a little, old lady, who was certainly not complaining and stuffing his speedos with cash.

 

"It could be worse," Duke mused, turning his attention back to the amused woman.

 

"How?" she laughed, eyes sparkling in the disco ball lights that disoriented Duke sometimes.

 

"It could be me up there," he quipped and she started to laugh again, covering her mouth shyly.

 

"That wouldn't be so bad," she said gently, amusement still in her expression.

 

"You haven't seen me dance," Duke told her and she giggled at him.

 

"Duke," he introduced himself, extending his hand towards her. She blushed as she let him kiss the back of her hand and she told him her name was Samantha.

 

"What brings you here?" Duke wondered, as she didn't really fit into the sort of person he'd normally expect to see in a place like this.

 

"Oh, it's my friend," Samantha replied, "she's really bummed about her breakup and I thought I'd cheer her up, but I think she's having a little too much fun."

 

They heard a loud whoop! and glanced around, Samantha shook her head as her friend was getting a lap dance from the stripper, who was now completely nude and had the women screaming so loudly, Duke was starting to get a headache.

 

"Would you like to go somewhere quieter?" he propositioned Samantha, who nodded and they stood up and went upstairs together where it was more relaxed and less noisy. There was a restaurant up here, closed at night and they sat in a corner booth, he pulled her up into his lap and they started to make out, humming and groping each other in the semi darkness of the room. Just as things were getting heated between them, she pulled back and blushed, gazing at him with quite the smitten expression.

 

"What's wrong love?" he wondered, trying to encourage her to kiss with him again and she resisted for the moment.

 

"I'm worried about my friend," she told him, "she doesn't know I'm up here."

 

Duke sat up and Samantha promised she'd be right back, hurrying downstairs to find her friend but Duke was not that patient and when she returned, he was gone.

 

"Probably just as well," her friend shrugged, "if he found out you were underage, he'd have dropped you like a hot brick, let's get outta here before the dicks at the door get wise to the fake IDs, come on.. "

 

Samantha gave a weary sigh and reluctantly followed after her, she'd been really having a good time with Duke, she wished she'd just came alone, like she'd originally planned to.

 

Already back in the penthouse suite he now called home, Duke decided to call it a day and went to bed, sliding in naked between the sheets, only to find another warm body already laying there, waiting to greet him with soft giggles and plenty of wet kisses to keep him up for half the night at least. This was not uncommon, he didn't know her name or what she looked like, he just went along with it, having taken another hit of coke moments before entering his bedroom, so he hadn't exactly been planning on going to sleep anyway.


	7. Soulmates

About two weeks later, Duke was still undecided as to whether he should sell up and move out, the pressure was mounting on him from the resident drug lord, who was positively livid with him by this stage and break ins were getting more frequent, if he did decide to sell, he'd have to do it soon before reputation got out of control and nobody wanted to buy the place.

 

He stood just outside of the club late one evening, when he suddenly noticed a group of people walking by and as they passed, his eyes met with those of a woman whom made his knees buckle and it took him every ounce of his strength to keep from falling. She was at least a foot taller than him, her skin was dark and smooth, she walked strong and proud with confidence like he'd not personally seen in a woman before. She took his breath away, made his palms sweaty and his heart thump in his throat but as he managed a quick greeting, she simply looked him over and turned her nose up at him, eventually getting into a limo halfway down the block and driving away with his heart clutched tightly in her fist, or so it felt to him anyway.

 

Duke leaned against the wall, it'd come over him so quickly and suddenly that he hadn't had time to fully register what had just happened, he'd been put in his place for sure. He had been so caught up in his fast paced world, not expecting or even desiring to make it to old age and then there she was, instant love at first sight, the very love of his life and she'd shot him down with one simple look of disapproval. He was forced to take a step back and have a good, long and hard look at himself, trying to see what she did and he didn't like it, so why would she?

 

Duke made up his mind that night to finally sell the club, pull up everything he owned and within the next three months, he was settled in Berlin and feeling very much at home. The drugs here were so much more easily and readily available, but he gave it a huge pass and instead found himself a couple of friends to help him sort his life out, deciding to take it in a whole other direction.

 

It took him nearly two years, it nearly killed him several times, but he did it.

 

He came out of it and he never looked back, then one night he was invited by these same two friends to a dinner party and so he reluctantly went, as he was still very much a loner and fond of his personal space at the moment. Just to be a smartass, he wore everything white and even arrived in a white vehicle, his friends found it amusing but some of the other patrons didn't agree and he couldn't have cared much less about what they thought anyway. A few minutes after they had settled in, Duke looked around as the door opened and everyone's head turned, watching that woman from outside his club all that time ago walk into this very building where he sat. She looked a little lost for a moment, then one of his friends waved her over and Duke felt his cheeks burning as the woman smiled and approached them, seating herself directly across from him wearing everything black and he saw the humor in it as he wondered if she even recognized him but she did not even remember it would seem, for she smiled at him in a charming way when they were introduced, her name was Iman and Duke was a little insulted but also quite relieved.

 

He could start out with her a friendship that was fresh and new, show her he wasn't the same kind of man she'd once snubbed and rightfully so, for she deserved a man better than what he'd been back then.

 

_Goddess_ , that was his immediate thought back then and it was the same now, here she sat, the very reason he'd cleaned up his act and gone sober for so long, he'd even quit the chain smoking and cut down to half a pack a day. She'd saved him and she didn't even know it, if he got the chance of course, he was going to thank her each and every single day of his life from now on, just by being there for her and treating her like the queen he knew her to be, the one who so easily held his heart in her hand still, after all this time.

 

They had introduced him as Duke, her favorite song came on and she was keen to dance, so he offered to take her to the dance floor and she bashfully agreed, his friends nudged each other and laughed softly, their plan was working out so well, the moment Duke had started talking about the mysterious woman, they had both known exactly who she was and this 'chance' meeting had been actually planned by them.

 

"So is your name really Duke?" Iman wondered to him, as he moved slowly with her to the music and tried hard not to get lost in her beautiful eyes.

 

"No," he said shyly and she smiled at him, so he felt braver, "my name is David."

 

"I like that much better," she whispered into his ear and he was done. There was no way in the world he could go on living without this woman, all he had to do now was convince her that they were meant to be together and indeed by the end of the dinner, she was quite charmed by him and eventually, she agreed to see him again..

 

 

 

  
  
****


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